Build Up Your Defenses for Flu Season
It was a long, hot summer, and I, for one, am enjoying the cooler weather as we shift into autumn. In recent years, I’ve really started to love what fall stands for: new beginnings. It’s the time to let go of the past and welcome the present and the future.
However, with this positive change also comes falling temperatures and the onset of flu season. We are highly focused on boosting immunity since our ultra-preventative longevity practice aims to increase our clients’ healthspan (number of years one lives disease-free) and lifespan.
And this winter, it seems especially important to shore up our immune defenses considering what’s happening in Australia. So why is this important? How does what happens there make us more or less concerned?
Well, our planet has two hemispheres that have opposite respiratory viral seasons. Infectious disease and public health experts in our Northern Hemisphere generally look at what happens in the Southern Hemisphere as a predictor of where things will go during our fall and winter season. Australia, which is in the Southern Hemisphere and experiences its flu season before ours, had a doozy of a season. And this gives us a taste of what’s to come here.
Influenza is not anything new – the flu season has almost always been a predictable part of every winter. But with the pandemic and resultant precautions and lockdowns, it was essentially nonexistent in 2021 and 2022, and last year’s was particularly mild. Since our immunity to respiratory viruses, including the flu, wanes over time, having not been exposed to these viruses over the last few years raises the risk of both catching the flu and having a more severe response because of it.
Another concern is that Australia’s flu season – which is just ending – started two months earlier than usual, was more severe than usual, and more widely infectious, with three times as many cases as usual. It doesn’t appear we are going to be spared.
Knowledge is power, right? So now that you’re aware, it’s high time to beef up your immunity.
At the Anti-Aging & Longevity Center, we personalize strategies based on a patient’s unique biochemistry and formulate a plan of action to optimize health. Individual needs for micronutrients vary, so understanding your specific requirements helps to guide smart supplementation. And what you do or don’t do on a daily basis matters more than you might think. Lifestyle changes in regard to nutrition, exercise, sleep, and dietary intake can either strengthen or weaken immunity.
Here are my top four tips for boosting your immunity this fall and winter:
#1 Sleep
Sleep has a big influence on immune function, so it’s essential to get plenty of high-quality sleep – a large number of medical studies have demonstrated that this optimal number is 7-8 hours. This means practicing good sleep hygiene and maintaining consistent sleep routines that strengthen the immune system, helping it produce cytokines that target infection and inflammation.
#2 Chronic stress
Chronic stress causes cortisol disruption which depresses your immune system, making it more ineffective and more likely for you to get sick. Identify your personal stress reduction strategies and practice them regularly, incorporating strategies like 4-7-8 breathing (so easy and time effective) as well as body scans that help ensure you don’t succumb to these circulating viruses.
#3 Workout
Get that workout in! Make sure moderate, physical activity is part of your daily routine. Improve your circulation, lower your cortisol and increase your levels of infection fighting leukocytes and antibodies to improve physical resilience.
#4 Eat Well
Aim for 10 daily servings of fruits and vegetables because research shows us that brightly colored vegetables and fruits that are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants are key to a healthy immune system.
Antioxidants such as beta carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E are especially important in helping your body fight illness. Make sure to include fermented vegetables and other probiotic-containing foods to keep your gut healthy.
